Field cranes have decreased naturally in numbers as big trees species around the villages are not in sight presently where they can nest and take shelter. I could see from our house a number of cranes atop a big tree, locally known as aankar/aankor tree. This was a kind of berry tree. The tree was tall, the fruits were black, soft, juicy, the pulp transparent, the seeds were small and soft, the taste was light sweet and small was not so pleasant. It would smell the smell of raw fish. As child we would eat it, not very often. as the smell was not so good. This type of trees are not generally found nowadays. This was the only tree of such species. It had grown wild and is no more now. I have searched a lot , on Google, Wikis, on Bengali blogs spanning throughout West bengal and Bangladesh, but could not find! What a grief, what a loss, I can not express in words! Can any botanist help? This had been the single tree in our village. Every villagers knew what were the major trees in the village with mango trees being most common.
One important aspect is that there had been a particular type of call of the cranes when they would sit atop the tree which the villagers used to identify as the sign of inviting the rains to come. And it would happen, they villagers used to believe.
Serene Pristine Unforgettable Agriculture 